814 Sinead O’Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990)

 814 Sinead O’Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990)

Studio Album - Rock




About the Act:

Sinead O'Connor is an Irish singer/songwriter and musician from Ireland, who has been a somewhat controversial figure, partly for her visual image (shaved head, odd clothes) but mostly for her acerbic attacks on individuals and institutions, in particular the Catholic Church, over the issue of child sexual abuse. She has made 10 studio albums to date, and has guested on many other projects. Some of her work has religious content, or religion-inspired content. She hasn't had a straightforward life, with difficult relationships in her personal and professional life and with some mental health problems. 


About the Album:

This was her second album, and contains the hit single "Nothing Compares 2 U" - written by Prince but recorded without his involvement. The album got lots of sales and lots of critical success too.


My History with this Album:

I have had a copy of this album on CD since not long after it was released. It is the only album by Sinead I possess, but I have listened to this one quite a lot of times over the years.


Review:

Familiarity makes it harder to do these reviews at times. This album is an old friend, but not necessarily an easy one to spend time with due to the content. We'll come to that.

The music is a right old mixture, to be honest. It's mostly mid-paced rock, but there are elements of hip-hop at times (sampled beaty drum-loops), songs that are basically acoustic guitar and voice, and some that are more lush with a strong presence of strings, which feel like late 80s pop rock, and the first track with just strings as backing. Some tracks are heavier in the rock direction. 

Of course there is singing, this being Sinead's thing. She has a strong and distinctive voice, definitely a good one to listen to, and a good range of expression. If there is one adjective to describe her performance it would be "emotional". 

For a lot of music, the lyrical content seems to be incidental, or of little importance. This is far from true for this album. It is not a happy album, it is infused with anger, bitterness, regret and sadness. These are definitely songs about things. I don't really want to do a list. The final track is maybe a bit more positive.

The songs are well-written, well-performed and well-recorded. I would not have played this album so often in the past if I didn't like it. Trying to listen to it with fresh ears, I would say it still holds up musically, but that this brand of anger and criticism seems to have been something that went down well at the time, but is maybe a little dated now. Maybe it's me that has got older and mellower.


7.2/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/34hQFIwGTLf03BZQmGL0iy

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdB2qly-JTgD8JArDf1kZoW0b31z3N7wP

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Do_Not_Want_What_I_Haven%27t_Got



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